Apparatus for returning bowling balls in bowling alleys



w. F. HUCK 2,682,405

APPARATUS FOR RBTUBNING BOWLING BALLs 1N BOWLING ALLBYs June 29, 1954Filed June 9, 1949 INVENTOR.

AT OR EY Patented June 29, 1954 UNITED STATE OFFICE APPARATUS FORRETURNING BOWLING BALLS IN BOWLING ALLEYS Application June 9, 1949,Serial No. 99,087

11 Claims.

of bowling and more particularly to apparatus for returning bowlingballs to the players during'the progress of the game.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an efficient,noiseless and comparatively inexpensive device that will assure thelifting of bowling balls to the return trackway of a bowling alley in anessentially automatic manner and without manual intervention.

Another object is to provide a bowling ball lifting device that willafford certain desired improvements in the way of an avoidance ofintermittently operated driving means and tripping mechanism, whileproviding a smoothly functioning and practically noiseless mechanism forthe return of the bowling balls.

Another object is the provision of a compact device of the kindindicated, of generally improved and simplied mechanism, adapted forapplication to practically any standard type of bowling alley withoutmodification thereof, and requiring no supervision while in operation.

A further object is to provide a device of the kind indicated that willenhance the enjoyment of the game and obviate the necessity for anattendant to each bowling alley.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a bowling ball returnapparatus of generally improved construction, whereby the device will besimple, durable and comparatively inexpensive in construction, as wellas convenient, practical, serviceable and eilicient in use.

Heretofore in existing apparatus intended for the mechanical return ofbowling balls to the players, the balls were customarily hoisted inelevatorlike mechanism, and then ejected onto a return track. Suchapparatus usually employed in addition, intermittently operated andreversible driving means, traps to engage the balls, tripping means tostart and stop the driving means, and safety means for the protection ofthe operators.

In accordance with the present invention, the mechanism is designed andadapted for operation in a vertical or horizontal plane; and also foroperation at various angles between the horizontal and vertical planesmentioned. The mechanism itself is constantly driven and the bowlingballs are smoothly and quietly engaged without injurious contact. Thefunctioning of the apparatus involves no danger to the operator orplayers and needs no attention after the switch is thrown to set it intooperation.

The invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and inthe details of construction hereinafter set forth, and will be bestunderstood when taken in connection with the accompanying drawingswherein:

Figure l is an elevational view, partly in section and with portionsbroken away, of an embodiment of the invention, taken on line i--I ofFig. 2, and as seen in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, `taken on line 2-2 of Figure l, andas seen in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 2, asseen in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings wherein similar characters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in the several views of the preferred formof the invention, the numeral :l designates a casing adapted to housethe component parts of the assembly and having a cover lil.

Within the casing 9, a U-shaped member I I is arranged to extend in avertical plane between upper and lower pulleys I2 and I3 respectively.The U-shaped member il is secured, as by the screws ila, to elements I2that in turn are fastened to vertically-positioned side plates l5, Iaforming a part of the casing and having portions It, Ita that overlapand arevfastened to the kickbacks or partitions Il of the alley, as bestshown in Fig. 3.

The left hand edges of the side plates I5, 15a, as seen in Figure l, areconnected by a cross plate I8 having flanges, as at lim, that extenddownwardly to a lower offset continuation i9 or the kickback partitionIl. In this manner, the entire structure is rigidly supported by thealley and is confined between the outside surfaces of the kickbackpartition.

The lower pulley I3 has a resilient or elastic covering, as at 20,arranged on its cylindrical hub 2l that rotates on a pin 22 securedbetween extensions 23, 24 of the U-shaped member i i, as by the snaprings 25.

The upper pulley I2 is turnably mounted on a pin 25 projecting from anarm 2l swingably supported on a shaft-like extension 2S of a bearingbracket 29 fastened to the frame member II. Movement of the extension 23in an axial direction is prevented by a retaining washer 39.

An arm 3| extending downwardly from the arm 2l is biased by a spring 32having an adjacent end fastened to the said arm which is thereby urgedin a counterclockwise direction about the extension 28 as an axis, andconsequently tends to elevate the pulley I2. The upward urge orcounterclockwise movement of the arm 2l and of the pulley I2 serves totension a belt 33 mounted on the upper and lower pulleys i2 and i3. Theother end of the spring 32 is fastened to a pin 34 secured to anextension 35 of the bracket 29, the said extension 35 having a U-shapedterminal 3 36 with olfsets 3'! through which the pin 34 is passed.

Fulcrumed on the pin 34 is another U-shaped bracket 39 also havingoffsets 39 through which the pin 34 is passed. The bracket 38 hasfastened thereto an electric motor 49, and the arrangement is such thatthe said bracket 38 and the motor 49 may freely oscillate about the pin34, the centre of gravity of the motor 40, as seen in Figure l, tendingto urge it downwardly in a clockwise direction about the pin 34 as apivot. This normally serves to tighten a V-velt 4I engaged with thesheave 42 of the motor 40 and also engaged with the sheave 43 fastenedto the at belt pulley I2 contacting the pulleys I2 and I3. The lat belt33, it will be noted is rotated by the means described and in thedirection indicated by the arrows.

Another extension bracket 44 secured to the casing 9 has fastenedthereto a starting and stopping switch 45 that is electrically connectedto the motor 40 by a cable 46. A lever arm 41 serves to operate the saidswitch 45.

Arranged in cooperative relation with and opposite the ilat belt 33 aretwo track members 48, 49 formed of friction material pressed into thechannel section 52 of steel frames 50, 5I having flanges 53 that areattached to the kickback partition, as at 54. The steel members 50, Iwith their track members 48, 49 provide a trackway for the bowlingballs.

As best shown in Fig. 2, a bowling ball 55 having its centre of gravityon line a-a, is resting on the two tracks 48, 49 at a line of contactb--b. This position of the bowling ball is also shown in Figure 1 atposition B where a bowling ball is engaged on its periphery by the flatbelt 33 in such wise that the ball is forced wedgingly into the tracks48, 49 and rotated about its in stantaneous points of contact with thesetracks. The configuration of the tracks 48, 49 is such that the tensionof the flat belt 33 will result in a constant pressure of the bowlingball against the track surface to the extent that enough friction iscreated to support the weight of the ball while carried along in anupward direction.

As seen in Figure 1, the lower portions of the side plates I5, I5a areprovided with openings 5l to accommodate the bowling balls 55 issuingfrom the pit of the bowling alley oor (not shown). A lead-in trackhaving a section 58 and two cooperating sections 59, 69 receives thebowling ball as it enters the openings 5'I from the right or left alley.

The position of the outgoing end bowling ball is shown at position C asit leaves the tracks 48, 49 and enters the ball return tracks 6I, 62that have their left ends fastened to the channeled tracks 4S, 49, as bythe bolt 63 and spacer elements 64, 65 and 86.

The component parts of the device, which also include the switch, motorand belt drives, are conveniently housed in the casing 9 and beneath thecover I0.

The function and mode of operation of the device has been in partindicated in the foregoing description, but may be summarized asfollows:

Assuming the assembly has been attached to the kickback partition of abowling alley in the manner described above, and that the lever arm ofthe switch 45 has been engaged toactuate the motor 40, a bowling ballentering the opening 57, rolls by gravity onto tracks 48, 49 and isengaged by the flat rubber belt 33 (see position of bowling ball at A).The distance between the tracks 48, 49 and the pulley I3 is so adjustedthat the rubber covering of the latter is compressed by the ball 55,thereby exerting pressure against the said tracks and the belt 33. Thiscreates friction that will 'cause the bowling ball 55 to rotateclockwise and propel it to the right, and thence upwardly by rolling italong the concave portions of the trackway 52, as at 6l.

As the ball leaves the pulley I3, the trackway 52 becomes convex, asdenoted at the point 68 which is configured so that the belt tensionremains substantially constant. The dellection of the flat belt 33, asindicated at B in Figure 1, causes downward motion of the pulley I2about the shaft-like extension 28, thereby stretching the spring 32. Thecurve of the trackway finally begins to assume a horizontal direction,as indicated at 69, adjacent the knee of the said curve where the ball55' becomes disengaged from the belt 33.

Angular momentum of the rotating ball plus its upward linear momentumand the restoration of the belt to its free running position, combine tocontinue motion of the bowling ball in the horizontal direction, thetrackway 52 being so curved that the acceleration into the changeddirection remains within desired limits. After the ball rolls onto thereturn track 'I0 that forms a part of the alley, its movement by gravityto the bowler continues in the customary manner.

By inspection of Figures 1 and 2, it will be noted that the bowling ballwedgingly contacts the trackway at two spaced points that arecomparatively near the axis of rotation of the said ball. The ball isengaged at a third point or portion of its surface by the travelingbelt, the last mentioned point being farthest from the said axis ofrotation of the bowling ball. The net result of this is that thetraveling belt, in cooperation with the trackway, imparts a combinedangular and linear motion to the bowling ball, the angular speed ofmotion, however, considerably exceeding that of the linear motion.

In some bowling alley installations, it may be preferred that the ballbe not lifted. In these instances, the assembly is placed in an approxi-`mately horizontal position so that the bowling ball will be returned tothe player by the momentum the traveling belt has imparted to it andwithout requiring a gravity potential. This, it will be observed, canreadily be made the equivalent of the potential energy of the liftedball by selecting the proper belt velocity.

It is to be understood that the invention may be embodied in otherspecific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributesthereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment beconsidered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive,reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoingdescription to indicate the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. 1n a device for use on a bowling alley, a driving pulley, an idlerpulley having a resilient covering, a belt operatively engaged with bothof said pulleys, means connected to the driving pulley and effective tomove it to tension the belt, and a trackway having a curved portionconcentric with the idler pulley and extending from a position below thepulley to a position to one side of the pulley and an upwardly extendingportion terminating in a second curved portion extending away from theupwardly traveling run of the belt; said trackway and belt operativelyengaging a bowling ball inserted between the lower end of the track andthe belt and accelerating it in angular and linear motion and rollingthe ball up and over the track and discharging it in a horizontaldirection.

2. In a device for use on a pair of bowling alleys having spaced apartkickbacks therebetween and for returning a bowling ball to a player, incombination, a casing securable to said bowling alley in a cut-outportion in said kickbacks and adapted to house all the component partsof the device, a source of power within the casing and operativelyconnected to a pulley therein, an idler pulley, a belt operativelyengaged with both of said pulleys, and a pair of tracks arranged inspaced relation within the casing and forming a trackway for bowlingballs, said trackway having a lower portion concentric with one of saidpulleys and an upwardly extending portion located along an upwardlytraveling run of said belt and said trackway and belt being adapted tocooperate in frictionally accommodating a bowling ball therebetween andmoving it angularly and linearly and a lead in track for directing aball into engagement with the trackway and belt at a point where thebelt is contacting one of the pulleys.

3. In a device of the kind described, a running belt, said belt engaginga spring-biased pulley and a second pulley, said second pulley having aresilient covering, a motor, a second belt operatively connecting themotor and the spring-biased pulley and effective thereby to drive therst mentioned belt, means to maintain both of said belts under tension,stationary tracks having a curved portion substantially concentric withthe pulley having a resilient covering and a connecting portionextending along the run of the belt moving away from said pulley andfrictionally engageable by a bowling ball, said bowling ball also beingengageable by the running belt and means for guiding a ball intoengagement with the curved portion of the track and the belt at a pointwhere said belt is in contact with the resilient cover of the pulley.

4. A ball conveying mechanism comprising vertically spaced pulleyshaving their axes disposed in a common plane, an endless belt disposedaround the pulleys and having an active reach for engagement with aball, means for driving one of said pulleys, a vertically disposed ballreceiving trackway spaced from the lower one of said pulleys a distanceless than the diameter of a ball to compressively engage the ball as itis propelled by the belt, said trackway having spaced apart trackmembers which engage the ball at laterally spaced points.

5. A ball conveying mechanism comprising vertically spaced pulleyshaving parallel axes, an endless belt disposed around the pulleys andhaving an active reach for engagement with a ball, a substantiallyvertical ball receiving trackway having spaced apart track members whichare spaced from the lower one of said pulleys a distance less than thediameter of a ball for lifting engagement with said ball at laterallyspaced points thereon.

6. In a ball handling device comprising a substantially verticalstationary trackway having spaced apart tracks, a driving pulley and adriven pulley having spaced parallel axes disposed in a substantiallyvertical plane, an endless belt disposed around said pulleys and spacedfrom said trackway to define a ball conveying passage, one of saidpulleys having a resilient covering and spaced from said tracks adistance less than the diameter of a ball to resiliently press said beltagainst a ball.

7. In a ball handling mechanism, a trackway having a lower horizontallead-in portion and a vertical portion and comprising spaced apart trackmembers, a pair of pulleys having spaced parallel axes which lie in avertical plane and an endless belt disposed around said pulleys andspaced from said trackway to define a ball conveying passage, one ofsaid pulleys having a resilient covering thereon and being spaced fromsaid trackway a distance less than the diameter of a ball to resilientlyurge the belt toward the trackway and compressively engage a balltherebetween.

8. A ball conveying mechanism comprising vertically spaced pulleyshaving their axes disposed in a common plane, an endless belt disposedaround the pulleys and having an active reach for engagement with aball, means for driving one of said pulleys, and a vertically disposedball receiving trackway spaced from the lower one of said pulleys adistance less than the diameter of a ball to compressively engage theball and ensure lifting thereof by the belt.

9. In a device for returning a bowling ball to a player on a bowlingalley, vertically disposed stationary track means upon which a ball isrolled toward a player, vertically spaced pulleys having their axesdisposed in a common plane and an endless belt disposed around thepulleys and having an active reach for engagement with a ball, saidtrack means and the lower one of said pulleys being disposed from eachother a distance less than the diameter of a ball for engaging andpositively lifting a ball positioned between said belt and track means.

10. A ball conveying mechanism comprising vertically spaced pulleyshaving their axes disposed in a common plane, an endless belt disposedaround the pulleys and having an active reach for engagement with aball, means for driving one of said pulleys, a vertically disposed ballreceiving trackway spaced from the lower one of said pulleys a distanceless than the diameter of a ball to compressively engage the ball andensure lifting thereof by the belt, and means mounting the active reachof the belt for movement toward and away from said trackway tofacilitate entry of a ball between the belt and trackway. p

11. In a bowling alley having a ball receiving surface and a ball returntrack adjacent thereto, a ball feed track leading from adjacent a sideof said surface to said return track, and powerdriven mechanism forengaging and driving a ball along said feed track, said mechanismcomprising a belt disposed above said feed track and in convergingrelation with respect thereto from the feed to the discharge end, and adrum of resilient material supporting the feed end of said belt andspaced from said feed track a smaller distance than the ball diameter.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,211,738 Marty Jan. 9, 1917 1,375,835 Fairchild Apr. 26, 19211,838,164 Tannewitz Dec. 29, 1931 2,161,270 Anderson June 6, 19392,207,643 Strong July 9, 1940

